Regardless
by Goldriver Wildheart
Summary: A blood elven mage is brutally injured, and saved by a male hunter of her race. Love will bud between them, but will the shadows of his family's noble pride allow it to bloom to its full potential?


Chapter One- Running

Selvaria Fireheart ran through the thick forestry of Un'Goro Crater. She bled freely from a gash on her arm. Death chased behind her with deafening footfalls. Hot, salty tears poured from her eyes as a tree collapsed near her, and she felt the skin on her back tear free. The young Sin'Dorei fell to her hands and knees in a shallow pool of water. She waited for what she hoped would be a painless death to take her, but it never came. Her strength failing, she turned to see the great beast on its belly behind her, and her savior's worried eyes as he approached. She felt him lift her into his muscular arms before her world turned to blackness.

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A fire crackled quietly nearby as the scent of bloodthistle and roasting meat teased her empty stomach cruelly. She could hear what she thought to be a large dog feasting on raw meat, and the calm, steady breath of the man who had saved her.

Opening her eyes, Selvara saw the fellow Blood Elf sitting with his hands on his knees as he watched a piece of meat roasting above the firepit. Well crafted mail armor and weaponry were set aside near a groomed hawkstrider to the left of him. To his right lay a mighty black and white striped cat, a large chunk of raw flesh between its paws and teeth.

Gazing across the fire, she took in the appearance of her rescuer. He was a tall man, over six feet in height, with outrageously orange hair in a spiked ponytail, and handsome dark blue eyes. He wore a dark red tunic that showed off his muscular armors and chest, as well as matching breeches. His brown leather boots were set aside, and carried his dagger and skinning knife.

Feeling her eyes on him, the man looked up to see her bright green eyes. He gave a handsome smile, showing clean white teeth.

She tried to sit up when he approached her, but a sharp pain erupted in her mid-back and caused her to cry out and fall to her back.

"Careful," He cautioned. "I'm not the best with bandaging; you might re-open your wound and get an infection."

Selvaria blushed a brilliant red when he helped her sit up. Her blush increased when she found she favored the way his reddish skin contrasted with her pale flesh.

"Are you feeling nauseous at all?" The man asked, pulling her from her daze. "If you can eat, the meat is just finished. I have some tea if you'd rather have that."

"I-I think I'd like some tea, if that's alright," She stuttered quietly.

Flashing another handsome smirk at her, he strode over to his brilliant blue hawkstrider, and pulled two small metal cups from a saddle bag. Kneeling on the far side of the fire, he carefully poured a rich red liquid into the cups. He handed her one, and blew on his own to cool the spicily scented substance.

"What's your name?" He asked, settling comfortably on his elbow as he leaned back with his legs stretching out in front of him.

"Selvaria," She replied hesitantly, sipping the tea. Silently, she savored the taste of blood thistle on her tongue before swallowing.

"Would you happen to have a surname, Selvaria?" He questioned.

"Fireheart," Mentally, she slapped herself for blushing yet again.

"Selvaria Fireheart," He set his cup down as he spoke. "My name is Solaris Sunchaser," He offered his large hand and an inviting smile. "It's a pleasure to be of your service."

He gently brought her offered hand to his lips, chuckling when he noticed the red staining her cheeks.

"You're not shy, are you?" He gently teased.

"A-a little," She sipped her tea to avoid his gaze.

"If you insist," He chuckled again, moving to tend to the meat above the fire. "Are you sure you're not hungry? I salvaged plenty of meat from the Devilsaur."

She eyed the meat with hunger, but her conscience reminded her that he had already, in her opinion, done far more for her than he needed to.

"Just a little…I don't' think I can eat much," She lied, much to her empty stomach's protest.

Solaris nodded, cutting a rather generous amount for her and sitting it on a plate before leaning back once again and sipping from his tea.

Selvaria ate quietly, savoring the taste of the tender meat on her tongue. It didn't take her long to finish her meal, and she set the plate near the daintily afterwards to avoid further hurting her back.

"You're finished?" He asked, giving her his full attention.

She nodded silently.

"Good, it's been several hours since I last changed your bandages. I should do it now before turning in for the night. You'll need to take off my shirt," Solaris said as he rummaged through a bag near the hawkstrider.

For the first time since waking, she realized that she had been wearing his night cloths. Selvaria glanced at him warily, not understanding what he was asking of her at first.

"Why?"

Solaris looked up from the bag.

"What do you mean 'why'?"

She swallowed hard.

"Why do all of this?" She asked him. "Why help a complete stranger?"

He smiled at her triumphantly.

"Think about it," She stood with the large red sack that he had been rummaging through and walked over to her. "Think of what people will say about the man who slew the great Ironhide Devilsaur."

Selvaria looked down at her knees. She felt quite used at hearing that and realizing that she had merely been a tool to boast his ego and reputation. She looked away from him when he untied the sash keeping his large shirt closed and then pushed the silken cloth from her shoulders.

Solaris gently grasped her chin and turned her to look at him.

"Most of all," She said to her, "I could never leave a defenseless woman to die that way, especially one so beautiful." He began to gently unwrap the bandages from around her chest and stomach.

Selvaria watched his large hands unwrap her chest bindings for a moment.

"Surely," She said to him, "there must be something you would want in return for this."

He tried hard not to stare when her full breasts came into view; he was nearly finished unbandaging her. When he was finished, he collected the bandages and tossed them into the fire.

As he turned back to her, he couldn't help but think that she looked very cute sitting on her knees with her thin arms covering her chests and with a blush gracing her cheeks. He smirked at the feeling of her soft hair in his hands as he draped it over her girlish shoulder.

"I suppose," Solaris said as he uncorked a bottle of medicinal alcohol to clean her wound with, "that there is something I could ask in return for my good deeds."

Selvaria bit her lip as she tried to ignore the pain in her back. Solaris was being gently, but she had not yet begun to scab over, and the injured flesh was still very tender.

"And what would that be?" She asked as she tried to steady her voice.

"It gets very lonely, just Bangalash and I," He said, applying a greenish salve to her gash. "I could use a companion. It would appear, for now, that you could use the same."

A tear slid down her cheek. The salve stung badly.

"T-that's all?" She asked, her tone stating that she had expected more.

"You'll have to do some work after you've regained your strength, nothing out of the ordinary however. Cooking, keeping each other's wounds, questing…what are you professions are you skilled in?" Solaris questioned.

"I'm a mage. I can also performing enchanting and alchemy at a high skill level. When I was younger, my mother taught me to be an herbalist like she was. I've never been very good at it though, even as my skill improved to higher level herbs."

"Can you fish?" He asked, beginning to rebandage her.

"Aye. My father had a boat when I was little. We often fished together in the summer. I used to love fishing with him all day and then coming home to help my mother cook it and store it," She smiled at the memory.

Solaris shifted to sit beside her and tend to the smaller wound on her upper arm. He quickly un-bandaged it and cleaned it. He left it without the salve.

"Are you going to bandage that one as well?" She asked.

"No, it's small enough that it doesn't need it, and it would be good to let it breathe for the night. When we get to the springs it would be good to have you bathe there, and then wear loose clothing so your back can get some air as well," He explained to her.

"I thought you said you weren't good with first aid?" She teased.

"Perhaps I was being a bit modest," He smiled at her as he began to rebandage her back wound, starting just above her belly button. "How well were you taught herbalism?"

"I can farm any herb, but I'm not good at it. I often completely ruin small bunches, and rarely ever got the whole of a large bunch, but I'm very good with my alchemy and enchanting. Mother taught me to cook well also…but yours did too," She complimented him.

Solaris sighed deeply.

"My parents taught me nothing of professions or class work," He said with bitterness in his voice.

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, you didn't know," He wiped a tear form her cheek. "You should have told me you were hurting so badly. I could have been gentler."

"It's alright, as long as you help make the wound better I can bear the pain," She smiled at him as he retrieved his nightshirt for her.

"You're much stronger than most mages," He told her.

Selvaria watched as his striped pet stretched as it rose to come lie behind Solaris. He pulled his hair down from his high pony tail before laying back and resting his head on the beast's side. Hesitantly, she reached out to stroke the creature's cotton fur.

"What professions do you have?" She inquired, tracing a jagged stripe down the cat's hind leg.

Solaris opened his eyes to look at her, his hair covering a clean shaved cheek as he turned his head to the side.

"As you may have noticed, I'm a fairly skilled hunter," He reached up to scratch his pet's ear.

"There you go being modest again," She joked.

"Perhaps, but I am quite the leatherworker and tailor. That Devilsaur you attracted gave my skinning lessons quite the test," He smiled at her.

Selvaria suddenly realized then that he was a very prideful hunter, and he had not meant harm earlier with his remarks towards saving her.

"If you would like, I could make new armor for you as well. Most of the cloth armor you were wearing was destroyed in the attack."

She smiled at him.

"Are you always so generous?" She asked, giggling at him.

'She has a wonderful laugh,' Solaris thought.

:: Perhaps it would be best for you to tell the she-elf your feelings rather than repeat them to yourself:: Bangalash spoke through their mental link that all hunters shared with their pets.

'I know…but we've only just met. You must understand that elves are not the same as tigers, especially ones of clout who may mate any female they desire. Regardless of my feelings towards a woman, I must still have permission from her before moving forward to mating her,' Solaris explained, forgetting Selvaria's joking question.

Bangalash snorted loudly, causing her to start violently.

:: You elves are strange creatures indeed, but I suppose what you say makes sense. Since the loss of this 'Sunwell' of yours it seems your race is quite endangered. Your women are fragile creatures, and need to be treated with care if you are to replenish your race properly::

"Solaris?"

The hunter looked over to his new companion.

"Is something the matter? You were quiet suddenly, and you looked very serious," She said, but he knew she was asking about his mood.

"I'm sorry," He apologized. "I was speaking with Bangalash. We hunters have a mental link with our pets, much like that of the Warlocks and their demons," He explained when she looked confused.

"What do you talk to him about?" She asked curiously.

:: Let her lie down:: He said to Solaris. ::This she-elf interests me.::

"Lie down, he says he likes you," He told her. "Just be careful about your back."

She shifted her body so that she could lie close to Solaris.

"Can he talk like we do?" Selvara asked.

"In a way you could say that," Solaris answered. "He doesn't speak Thalassian, but I understand him, and he can understand us. He's intelligent."

"I think I understand that…"

He smiled at her.

"You are a fascinating little mage," Solaris told her.

"And you are a generous little hunter," She replied, smiling coyly.

" 'Little'"? He inquired with mock hurt.

"Maybe not little…" She looked him over with jested seriousness. "How does 'very tall' sound?"

He exaggerated a loud sigh.

"I suppose that would do," Solaris smiled at her.

She smiled before yawning widely.

"It's late," He told her. "you should get some rest."

"Will I be able to travel tomorrow?" Selvaria asked.

"I probably won't know until morning, why?" He wondered to her.

"I was by the Hot Springs when I was attacked. All my belongings are there, or at least they were, if none of the creatures here have gotten to them. I hadn't set up camp yet, and my mount was tied up there…but if a predator found her.." She paused, not wanting to think about the fate that her beloved Hawkstrider could have met.

Solaris looked worried.

"That's nearly on the complete opposite side of the Crater," He informed her. "I doubt you'd be able to travel that far.

Selvaria's mood changed. He couldn't help but feel guilty at the sight of her drooping ears and fallen facial expression.

"All my supplies are there. My cloths, my runes, my weapons, my money…it took almost two years before I saved enough gold for a mount last time," She confessed quietly. Her worry was evident in her glowing jade eyes.

Solaris scooted closer to her so that he could embrace her shoulders.

"I'll do what I can to get you there tomorrow," He told her, placing his hand on her head. Gently, he ran his large hands through her hair, attempting to comfort her.

"You're a really great person, Solaris Sunchaser," She whispered to him sleepily.

Solaris smiled at her, reveling in the feeling of her head on his shoulder, and her body pressed gently against his.

"If only you knew…" He whispered in her sleeping ear, regretting the truth that he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

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Hey Guys!!! Does anyone know what hawkstriders eat? Maybe any ideas? sigh well…I've already started Chapter Two for this one. You'll like itevil grin REVIEW!!!! Or I don't update for a month, you got that pplz?????? And I'll have Of the Sun and Moon up asap too….had a bit of WB on that onesob of course there's also about 50 other stories trying to force their way into my fingertips also…that does cause some problems…but hey, that's what boring classes like Algebra 2 are for, right? Right?looks around pathetically …right?


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